WebSphere Lombardi Edition 7.2 > Simulating and optimizing processes > Configuration requirements for simulation


Set up simulation profiles

When you run a simulation, the results are based on the settings that you establish in a Simulation Profile. The following procedure explains how to edit or create a Simulation Profile.

You do not need to create a Simulation Profile to run a simulation. Lombardi includes a Default Simulation Profile that provides default simulation values.

Complete the following steps to set up a Simulation Profile:

  1. Open a process (BPD) in the Designer in Lombardi Authoring Environment and click the Diagram tab.
  2. Click the Start event in the diagram to select it.
  3. Click the Simulation option In the properties.
  4. Under Simulation Profile, click the New button to create a new profile or click the Select button to select an existing profile.

    The simulation values that you provide for each item in your process are saved with the Simulation Profile that is currently selected.

    When you select a Simulation Profile for one item in a process, that profile automatically becomes the selected profile for all other items in the process.

  5. Make sure the checkbox for Event is simulated in this profile is selected.
  6. Under Firing Delay, set a Distribution type and then establish how often the process is initiated for simulation purposes.

    For example, in the following image, the distribution type is Fixed and the set value is 10 minutes. This means that the Optimizer will simulate the process starting exactly every 10 minutes. With a Uniform or Normal distribution type, you can establish averages and ranges so that the timing of the process kick-off deviates and is not so precise, which may more accurately reflect conditions in your environment.

  7. Click an Activity in the diagram to select it.
  8. Click the Simulation option In the properties.

  9. Under Execution Time, for Distribution Type, select Fixed, Uniform, or Normal.

    If you select... Specify... Lombardi Optimizer...
    Fixed The execution time in days, hours, and minutes. Uses the same specified value each time.
    Uniform The average execution time and the range (average plus or minus the values that you specify) in days, hours, and minutes. Is equally likely to use each value in the specified range.
    Normal The average execution time, the range (average plus or minus the values that you specify), and the standard deviation in days, hours, and minutes. Is more likely to use values within the specified range that are closer to the specified average instead of values that are more or less than the average.

    In the preceding image, the user has changed the Default Simulation Profile for the Research Dispute activity so that the average execution time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, the range is 15 minutes, and the standard deviation is 5 minutes. The graph at the bottom of the profile changes to reflect these values.

    Select and set simulation properties for each activity in the process. If the implementation for an activity is a nested process, you can enable the Simulate nested process checkbox and then choose the simulation profile to use for the nested process. If you do not want to include the nested process in the simulation, do not enable the checkbox.

  10. For each event in the process, indicate whether to simulate the event and, if so, specify the firing delay.

    The firing delay tells the Optimizer when to initiate the event. For example, a fixed firing delay of 15 minutes for an attached message event means that the Optimizer simulates the process as if that message event fires15 minutes after the start of the associated activity and, if the event is repeatable and as long as the associated activity is not closed, every 15 minutes after the initial firing.

    Events attached to an activity include a Firing condition option so that you can choose between a timed delay and a delay that depends on the percentage of completed activities. For example, the firing condition in the following image occurs when 25% of the activities to which the event is attached are complete:

  11. For each decision Gateway, Split, and Join, indicate the probability of the run-time process flowing from the gateway in one direction rather than another. The probability is expressed in percentage for each attached sequence line.

You can create multiple Simulation Profiles for a single process. Then, when you create or edit a Simulation Analysis Scenario, you can choose which of the Simulation Profiles to use for the current scenario.

If you run a simulation for a single BPD by choosing Playback > Simulate (Single) Process from the main menu, Lombardi uses the currently selected Simulation Profile in the Simulation properties. If no profile has been explicitly set, Lombardi uses the Default Simulation Profile.

Parent topic: Configuration requirements for simulation

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